Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you all had a wonderful bank holiday weekend. The children have been updating me on all the various activities they have been doing. It clear to see they feel loved and happy.

Thank you to all the Y3 parents who attended the PGL meeting on Wednesday to hear all about the residential opportunity afforded to our children. As you know we work really hard to ensure our children have a vast amount of opportunities to develop socially and morally as well as academically and outdoor learning activities really support with this and the development of their independence. A huge thank you to Mrs Phillips and Mrs Steen-Plomer, if you have any queries please let us know. The children really loved it this year, they developed new skills and learnt a lot about themselves and their friends.

The Y6 meeting on Thursday was another demonstration of the great partnership between school and home life for our children. Mrs Winters, Mrs La Touche and Mrs Lodge explained the SATs process, Y6 RSE curriculum and PGL residential to our parents/carers. We are so blessed to have not just great teachers, but excellent leaders in our Y6 team and I know that the children will do the school proud in their SATs next week. I am praying for them all, that they remain calm and focused and that God gives them courage throughout. Best of luck year 6! You are more than ready.

Yesterday our children took part in an Global assembly that was based in Rome and discussed theh papal conclave. They were so attentive and focused the hall was covered by a a reverent calmness as we took part in collective worship with almost 600 other schools across the world. Thank you so Mrs Phillips for helping me to achieve this vision for the children. They were a part of a special moment in history and developed a good understanding of how our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV was selected.  We pray God blesses him and strengthens him as he steps into this new role.

On 16th May- next Friday you are all welcome to join us for our Marian procession. I remember my first one last year with such fondness and was overwhelmed by the flowers the children brought in as part of this special celebration.

I would like to thank you all for your continued prayers for staff members and those in our school community who have a loved one suffering from cancer. Sadly, my Aunty Etta passed away on the first Monday in the holidays and we said goodbye to her last Thursday. I am grateful to you all for your comforting words and prayers over the year. God blessed us with the time to make wonderful memories. I know she is resting in peace with my grandparents.

In June, Miss Lodge will be running the Race for Life to raise money for this important cause.  If you would like to sponsor her, please click the link: https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/kayleighs-race-for-life-130922128 

We pray you and your fmaily have a great weekend in the sunshine,

Mrs Ashley and the Team

Hello! I am excited that we have a Pupil Leadership Team section of the weekly St Joseph's newsletter. This shows that our voice matters and we can update you about our schools.

This week has been an exciting one, with many events keeping us busy.  As I write this, we are about thirty minutes from the school Mini Marathon, which is taking place on the field! This will be an exciting opportunity for pupils and staff alike to run together, get fitter and just have fun!

Another key part of the last week were class photos; these were a chance for students to snap some pictures with pals as we edge closer and closer to the end of the academic year.

We also remembered VE Day this week, which is coming up next week.  The clubs letter has also gone out, so make sure to book on as spaces go quickly!

Year 6 have continued to prepare for SATs this week. I want to remind everyone- don't worry, you've got this!

Anyway, that's all from me this week- have a great weekend :)

Emmanuel, Head Boy

Roblox has recently launched some new parental controls, offering more transparency and management over young people’s accounts. The new features allow parents to block specific friends, as well as view more detailed insights into their child’s activity. Roblox has incorporated more real-time awareness that can be adapted depending on where parents feel most comfortable, and can be adjusted as their child’s digital experiences develop.

What’s Included?

To gain access to these features, parents and carers will need to link their own Roblox account using a verified ID in a move to encourage only trusted individuals to access and modify parental settings. Once linked, parents can:

• Block specific users from their child’s friends list which will remove direct messaging and engagement with that user.

• Block individual experiences – this is content that they may not want their child to see. Parents can already set a maturity level for the content they are exposed to, but this feature allows for specific blocking on experiences that may fall out of the maturity level.

• Track the time that they spend on Roblox - this gives parents a clearer picture of what their child’s screentime is highlighting, and more specifically, what experiences they are engaging with the most.   

Updates to the Roblox Safety Center

Roblox have also updated their Safety Center which is now redesigned as a hub for all safety-related resources, guides, and reporting tools. Roblox recognise that tools alone are not enough; they must be paired with awareness, education, and access to support. Roblox’s move to centralise these elements can help demystify what is available on these platforms and helps to reinforce the need for ongoing parental involvement and discussion.

This week in Year 5, we started drafting our fantasy narratives based on The Nowhere Emporium. In Mathsematics, we are learning about angles. In Science, we explored how light intensity changes with different materials blocking its path. In RE, we identified different ways to pray and in History, we studied sources about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's relationship. In PE, we practised our cricket ball throwing. 

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.

The St. Joseph's Team